Fresh off the back of a victory over old foes Australia, England will be looking to go two from two with their end-of-the-year schedule by getting on over a very handy and increasingly more consistent Fijian outfit.
England v Fiji | Saturday 8 November | Twickenham | 17:40
To Win (80 Mins)
1/25 England | Draw 58/1 | Fiji 9/1
Handicap
England (-22.5) 9/10 | Fiji (+22.5) 17/20
This game has had a bit of edge to it in recent years, with the Fijians closing the gap between the two nations as they claimed a win over their English foes at Rugby HQ in August 2023 before going down by just six points to their much-vaunted opponents a couple of months later in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
The Fijians are heading north of a solid year thus far as they wrapped up yet another Pacific Nations Cup title at a canter. While wins over neighbours Samoa and Tonga, as well as Canada, aren’t really much to write home about at the moment, another win over the Japanese in the final – albeit a tight one – is decent going.
Prior to the Pacific Nations Cup, the men from the Pacific Islands had given an Aussie side on the rise a real scare, going down by just three points to the Wallabies, while they also beat Scotland 29-14.
For England, 2025 has been decent enough as they finished as runners-up in the Six Nations before a very much weakened beat Argentina 2-0 in their mid-year series and then beat the United States 5-40.
Arguably, their most mature showing of the year came last weekend against Australia. While the Wallabies were far from their best, credit must go to England, who were brutal on defence and clinical for the most part, with veteran George Ford pulling the strings at fly-half.
Looking ahead to the team news this weekend, one has to think Steve Borthwick will once again look at these hybrid roles he’s created for a couple of players. There’s also talk of Marcus Smith making a return at fullback with Freddie Steward said to be struggling with a niggle, while Ollie Lawrence is being touted for a start in the centres.
For Fiji, former All Black Pita Gus Sowakula is in line to make his debut, while powerhouses Josua Tuisova and Vilimoni Botitu are likely to start as a dangerous centre pairing.
Verdict: Fiji (+22.5) 17/20
It looks like this game will be played in decent weather conditions, which is a massive plus for the Fijians. I reckon they’ll keep this one within the handicap.
